Kinect Gives Life To This Humanoid Robot

Using Microsoft’s Kinect to control a modified Roomba is impressive. Using it to get a kit-built humanoid robot to mimic your actions is pretty damn amazing.

Once again hobbyists beat Microsoft at their own gaming peripheral, utilizing Kinect’s impressive technology in ways that go so far beyond gaming. Here we see software engineer Taylor Veltrop using the camera peripheral to map his own movements, which are then transferred to his Kondo KHR-1HV hobby humanoid robot. Veltrop moves his arms, and the Veltrobot moves its arms accordingly, albeit with a bit of lag.

The demonstration is a little bit clunky, but the possibilities raised by the ability to control a robot in real-time using body movements are limitless. This is what leads to robots handling hazardous materials, or a piloting system for giant humanoid mechs with pilots nestled safely within their cockpits.

Taylor’s next step is working on the leg movement and getting the grippers to open and close with his hand movements. I’m already piloting Evangelions in my head.